Archive for April, 2012

Henry is trained for tracking wounded game and has multiple deer and hog under his belt for finds. He has an extremely high prey drive and is waging a personal war against every squirrel in the universe, or at least our property. No unauthorized varmints are permitted entry onto our property which we refer to at the “Kingdom of Ott”. He is also the resident guard dog and takes his job very seriously. Henry is 80 lbs of power and muscle but will herd chickens back to the coop if asked.

In his off time, Henry is the Ott children’s overwhelming NO.1 choice to use as a playmate for their increasingly complicated game of “Hide and Seek”. They take great pleasure in planning elaborate schemes to outwit Henry’s tracking ability, but mostly because he doesn’t mind being “it” every game. He remains unbeaten and is the undisputed hide and seek champion of the Kingdom of Ott.

CH Double Ott’s Boudreaux is a really nicely put together male off of CH Jetta’s I Gotcha G and CH Double Ott Corlew Benelli. He has a wonderful temperament and moves like he’s floating.

As we have a small farm, we keep only enough dogs on property as jobs we have for them to do. We at Double Ott put the physical and mental welfare out breeding stock first. Some of our breeding dogs are “farmed out” to select family and friends where they have the opportunity to do jobs that they were bred to do and have the best possible life for a Catahoula. We choose to forgo a kennel environment to focus more on developing functional dogs that are part of the family.

Boudreaux is farmed out to Atlanta, Georgia where he lives with, and is co-owned with my cousin.

CH Double Ott Corlew Benelli is a beautiful bitch. She is the diva queen of all her domain. Her temperament is above par. She has the grace and balance of a big cat and moves like one too. When she’s in full stride not much can catch her, and not much can outrun her. She’s used for varmint control, property protection, and is always on snake patrol as we seem to live in some sort of mecca for copperheads and egg thieving chicken snakes. She’s was particularly good at stopping bolting longhorn steers when we thought we wanted them a few years back. She was tough and quick enough to stop them and move them back to the pasture when they bolted through the fence into the woods, but she’s gentle enough to tolerate our freerange uppity chickens that roam our property. We now stick with the more layed back breeds of cattle when we are feeding out for stocking the freezer.

Moving close–when viewed from the rear or front, the legs move toward the centerline of the body while gaiting

Moving straight–describes a dog with little reach and drive in gaiting

Muzzle–foreface; head in front of the eyes

NO

Occiput–point of the skull bone, back of head

Open Bay–a field trial event where one dog or a pair are in arena with a wild hog for which to demonstrate it’s style and ability to work and control said hog. An open trial is available to any breed of dog and cash prizes are rewarded. Often referred to a “money bay”

OFA–Orthopedic Foundation for Animals

OFA Certified– a dog’s hips have been x-rayed for hip dysplasia, a very common and debilitating genetic disease. also referred to as Hip Certified

Out at elbows–elbows turn outward, away from body, at a natural stance

Overdone–refers to a dog whose angulation is extreme; too much

Overhang–a heavily pronounced brow

Overreaching–a gaiting fault in which the rear legs must reach to one side or another to avoid clipping

Overshot–an overbite; upper incisors project beyond the lower ones

P

Padding–a gaiting fault in which the front feet flip up and outward to avoid clipping with the rear

Paddling–caused by and east-west or in at the elbows front; front feet are slung stiffly outwards when gaiting

Pads–the thick leathery projections on the sole of the feet

Peak–see “occiput”

Pastern–region of the front leg between the carpus and the foot (the wrist)

Pelvis–hip bones

Pen dog–a dog that is used in competition open bays or sanctioned trial bays almost exclusively. More often than not the dog is not used for actual hunting (Comment: this is not good or bad, it’s just what these dogs are trained for)

Piebald– black and white or two other colors in patches.

Pigeon toed–feet (front or rear) pointing inwards, towards each other

Pig mouth–see “overshot”

Pincer bit–see “even bite”

Planes–referring to the head, the plane of the muzzle and the plane of the topskull

Planing–the comparison of the angles of the two planes of the head

Poke–neck carried low and outwards when gaiting

Popping hock–gaiting fault describing an accentuated lift of the hock portion just after full extension of the rear

Pounding–gaiting fault; front stride is shorter than the rear, front feet pound the ground in an ungainly manner

Pressuring–the act of baying too close and stressing the hog often enough to make it brake the set up.

Prick ear–an erect or upright ear

Puppyish–immature in overall conformation (i.e. no spring of ribs, or loose front action–typical traits of puppies)

Q

R

Racy–tall and of a lithe, slight build

Ragged–muscling appears rough and ragged, instead of smooth

Rangy–unproportionally tall, long, and of a lighter build than is desired

Rat tail–thick root covered in curly hair, tapering to a sharp point w/ little to no hair

Reach–describes the length of forward stride taken by the forelegs when in motion

Refinement–pertaining to the amount of raciness

Restricted–a gaiting fault caused by under angulation where either the front or the rear appears painfully constricted

Ribbed up–a long rib cage

Ring tail–carried up and in a semi-circle over the croup

Roach back–a noticeable arch over the thoracic and lumbar regions

Rolling–a gait in which the rear seems to be swaying and ambling along

Rubber hocks–a gaiting fault in which the hocks flex and twist both ways to bear the weight of the rear

Single tracking–all footprints falling upon a single, central line of travel while gaiting

Slab sides–flat, under sprung ribs

Slew foot–general term for feet turned outwards

Smooth coat–a very short, tight fitting and slick single layer coat

Snipey–a pointed muzzle lacking proper fill and under jaw

Splay foot–a flat foot with toes spread apart from each other also called coon footed

Spring–refers to the amount of roundness to the rib cage

Spread–the distance between the front legs

Standard– the official blueprint for a breed.

Steep croup–a croup which makes a dramatic slope from the hip bones to the root of the tail

Stern–another term for the tail

Sternum–breastbone

Stifle–kneecap

Stilted–a gaiting style; very choppy with lots of up and down bounce due to straight angulation

Stop–the indentation between the eyes; the step up from the muzzle plane to the skull plane

Straight front–too little angulation in the front

Straight in the pastern–not enough give in the pastern area when in a natural stance

Stud dog–a male dog used for breeding purposes

Substance–pertaining the the amount of bone

Sway back–a noticeably concave topline

T

Thoracic vertebrae–the vertebrae that make up the spine over the rib cage area

Tibia–the smaller of the two major bones in the hock

Tied at the elbows–see “paddling”

Topline–the horizontal made by the top of the withers through the bottom of the croup

Treeing–the act of barking at a raccoon in the tree or a trial in which a caged raccoon is raised to a specific height for which the dog to bay, demonstrating it’s focus and drive in baying said raccoon.

Tuck up–the shallower depth of body beneath the loin area

Twisting hocks–see “rubber hocks”

Type–the characteristic physical qualities that distinguish one breed from another

Typey–a specimen with outstanding breed type

U

Ulna–the smaller of two major bones in the forearm

Underline–the contour of the underside of the brisket and the abdominal floor

Undershot–an underbite, opposite of overshot

Unsound–a dog with one or more severe conformational or health faults that would render it incapable of working

V

W

Webbed–a thin but solid membrane between all toes

Well let down–having short hocks

Wheel back–see “roach back”

Whip tail–a long, straight, evenly tapering, smooth coated tail

Winging–a gaiting fault in which one or both front limbs twist outward

Win tag– the named affectionately given to the little brass tags awarded ad NALC events.

Win tag Gods– the gods of the win tags. They really don’t do too much, although, they have been known to cast bad luck on individuals who don’t mount their win tags in a timely manner on the plaques given out at the show for which to mount your win tags. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

Withers–the region between the neck and the back

Woods dog–a dog that is uses almost exclusively for hunting hogs in the woods or swamps. With a few exceptions these dogs do not usually perform well in A-bays or B-bays and other unnatural conditions. (Comment: it’s not good or bad it’s just what they are trained for)

I am often asked about what the differences are in the standard for National Association of Louisiana and the United Kennel Club. There are small differences and it is difficult to explain without looking at them side by side. So I have provided a side by side comparison. I hope this helps. I also included a diagram to help with terminology that you may not know.

NALC

UKC

Comments

GENERAL APPEARANCE

The Louisiana Catahoula is a medium-large dog, well muscled, yet trim, powerful, but denoting agility and great endurance.

The Louisiana Catahoula Leopard Dog is a medium to medium-large, short-coated dog, with a broad head, small-to-medium drop ears, and an undocked tail set on as a natural extension of the topline. The Catahoula is well muscled and powerful, but not bulky, giving the impression of agility and endurance. The Catahoula is a moderate breed and should not resemble either a sighthound or a bulldog in appearance. The body is just slightly longer than tall and the distance from the elbow to the ground should equal 50-60 percent of the dog’s height from the withers to the ground. Because of the breed’s name, many people assume that all Catahoulas have the so-called “leopard” markings and blue eyes. In fact, the breed is noted for its many and unusual coat colors and patterns, as well as varied eye color. The Catahoula should be evaluated as a multi-purpose working dog, and exaggerations or faults should be penalized in proportion to how much they interfere with the dog’s ability to work.

The essence of this is simply this. Looking at the dog, do it give you the impression that it could sufficiently perform the tasks the breed was created to do.

HEAD

Powerfully built with well developed cheeks

The head is powerfully built without appearing exaggerated. Viewed from the side, the length of skull and muzzle are approximately equal in length, and joined by a well-defined stop of moderate length. The planes of the top skull and the bridge of the muzzle are roughly parallel to one another. There may be a slight median furrow between the eyes and running back to the occipital bone. Gender differences should be apparent in the characteristics of the head.SKULL – The skull is broad and flat. The cheeks are well developed. Fault: Excessively broad skull; narrow skull.

MUZZLE

The muzzle should be strong, deep and approximately equal in length to the top skull as measured from the stop to the occiput bone. The muzzle should be broad at the base and taper towards the nose when viewed from the front.

The muzzle is strong and deep. Viewed from above, the muzzle is moderately wide and tapering toward the nose. Lips may be tight or slightly pendulous with pigment of any color or combination of colors.Faults: Snipey muzzle.

BITE

The bite should be a strong scissor bite, with a level bite being acceptable. Complete dentition is greatly desired, however broken teeth are not to be faulted.SERIOUS FAULTS: Overshot or undershot bite.

The Louisiana Catahoula Leopard Dog has a complete set of evenly spaced, white teeth. A scissors bite is preferred but a level bite is acceptable. Full dentition is greatly desired but dogs are not to be penalized for worn or broken teeth. Serious Faults: Overshot or undershot bite.

NOSE

Nose pigment may be any color or combination of colors.

EYES

Glass eyes are preferred although the eyes may be of any color or combination of colors. The eyes do not have to be the same color and may have partial glass in one or both eyes, commonly known as “cracks”.Serious faults: Malformed or acentric formation of the eyes.

Eyes are set moderately well apart, medium in size, somewhat rounded in appearance, and are set well into the skull. Eyes may be any color or combination of colors without preference. Eye rims are tight and may be any color or combination of colors. Serious faults: Malformed pupils; pupils not centered; sagging eyelids making haw visible; functional abnormality of eyelids or eyelashes.

Note that there is a small but significant difference between the two versions.In my opinion, NO eye color should be preferred.

EARS

The ears should be short to medium in length with the tip of the ear being set level or slightly below the top of the head. Properly hung ears, with the inner edge of the ear lying close to the cheek are to be preferred. “Laid-Back” ears are acceptable.FAULTS: Fly-away or houndish earsDisqualification: Cropped ears.

Ears are drop, short to medium in length, moderate in size, and proportionally wide at the base, gradually tapering to the slightly rounded tip. They should fold over and be generally triangular in shape. The top of the ear fold is level or just slightly below the top line of the skull. When the dog is at attention, the inner edge of the ear lies close to the cheek. Laid-back ears are acceptable but not preferred. Faults: Any ear type other than described above. Disqualification: Cropped ears.

NECK

The neck should be muscular and of good length.

The neck is muscular and of good length, without being overdone. The circumference of the neck widens from the nape to where the neck blends smoothly into the shoulders.Faults: Neck too short and thick or too thin and weak; excess skin forming dewlap.

FOREQUARTERS

The length of the foreleg should be 50-60% of the total height of the dog as measured from the ground to the top of the withers. The shoulders should be well laid back with an upper arm bone of ample length. The forelegs should be set moderately far apart and the front feet should toe neither in nor out.

The shoulders are strong and smoothly muscled. The shoulder blades are long, wide, flat and well laid back. The upper arm is roughly equal in length to the shoulder blade and joins it at an angle sufficient to ensure that the foot falls under the withers. The elbows are close to the body and do not turn out. The forelegs are straight, and of medium bone, indicating strength without excessive thickness. Pasterns are strong, short, and slightly sloping. The length of the forelegs should roughly equal 50-60% of the dog’s height at the withers. A dog with legs shorter than the ideal is to be more heavily penalized than a dog with longer legs. Faults: Forequarters significantly heavier than hindquarters; bone too heavy or too fine; straight shoulders; out at elbows; weak pasterns.

BODY

The back should be strong and well muscled, level and of medium, length. The chest should be deep reaching below the elbow. The chest should be fairly broad with well sprung ribs. The underline should have tuck-up in the loin area to a moderate degree.

A properly proportioned Louisiana Catahoula Leopard Dog is slightly longer than tall. The top line inclines very slightly downward from well-developed withers to a level back. The back is broad and well muscled with a short, strong, slightly arched loin. A slightly longer loin is acceptable in females. The ribs extend well back and are well sprung out from the spine. The chest is deep, reaching at least to the elbows, and moderately broad. When viewed from the side, the forechest extends in a shallow oval shape in front of the forelegs. Tuck-up is apparent but not exaggerated. Croup is medium to long and slightly sloping. A slightly elevated rear resulting from slightly straighter rear angulation should not be penalized too severely. Faults: Chest too broad, too narrow or too shallow; soft top line; exaggerated or absent tuck-up; loin too long.

HINDQUARTERS

The croup should be medium to long in length and slightly sloping with the tail having a meduim to high set. The stifles should be well angulated and the hocks should be set low to the ground. The hocks should turn neither in nor out when viewed from the rear.SERIOUS FAULTS: Dogs being either natural bobtail or having the tail docked

Hindquarters are strong and smoothly muscled. Width and angulation of hindquarters are in balance with the forequarters.HIND LEGS – The stifles are well bent, and the hocks are well let down. When the dog is standing, the short, strong rear pasterns are perpendicular to the ground and, viewed from the rear, parallel to one another.Faults: Thin, weak hindquarters; cow-hocked; open-hocked.TAIL: The tail is a natural extension of the topline. It is thicker at the base, and tapers to the tip. Natural bob tails are permitted, but not preferred. The natural bob tail, regardless of length, will taper in width from base to tip. A full length tail may be carried upright with the tip curving forward when the dog is moving or alert. When the dog is relaxed, the tail hangs naturally, reaching to the hock joint. Catahoulas should be allowed to carry their tails naturally when being shown. Exhibitors should not hold tails upright. Fault: Ringed tail. Docked Tail Disqualification: Complete Absence of a tail ( No External coccygeal vertebrae evident).

The Bobtail controversy is a subject that will not be addressed here. Strong arguments can be found on both sides of the issue. I’m not even touching that one.The issue of a Hooked tail should be discussed in another article. Maybe I’ll get to that.

FEET

The feet should be strong and moderate in length. Good webbing between the toes should be evident. Dew claws may be present or removed but if present should be uniform.Faults: Cat-footed or Coon-footed

Good feet are essential for a working dog. Feet are well knit and oval in shape. Toes are long, webbed and well arched. Pads are thick and hard. Nails are strong. Dewclaws may be removed. Fault: Cat foot.

COAT

The coat-length should be short to medium in length. Color – Leopards to be preferred and may come in blue, grey, black, liver, red, white and patched. Trim may be black, white. tan, red or buff. Solid colors acceptable are black, yellow, red and chocolate.DISQUALIFICATION: Long or fuzzy coated dogs

The Catahoula has a single coat, short to medium in length that lies flat and close to the body. Texture ranges from smooth to coarse, without preference.

Catahoulas come in an endless variety of coat colors and patterns. All color combinations and patterns can have color points or trim, which may be located on the chest, cheeks, above the eyes, on the legs, underbody or under the tail. The Leopard pattern has a base color with contrasting spots of one or more other colors. Solids have a single coat color. Brindles may have a light or dark base coat color with contrasting stripes. The Patchwork pattern may or may not have one predominant solid color with one or more different size patches of different colors and shades placed randomly on the body. Colors must be rich and deep. No coat color or pattern is preferred.

Disqualification: Long coat; fuzzy coat that obscures the outline of the dog

I agree with the UKC’s stand on coat color.Washed out colors is an ongoing issue that should be discussed in another article.

GAIT

The gait should be smooth and effortless denoting agility. Single tracking at a trot is acceptable.

When trotting, the gait is smooth, fluid and effortless, showing good but not exaggerated reach in front and powerful drive behind. The top line remains level with only a slight flexing to indicate suppleness. Viewed from any position, legs turn neither in nor out, nor do feet cross or interfere with each other. As speed increases, feet tend to converge toward center line of balance. Poor movement should be penalized to the degree to which it reduces the Catahoula’s ability to perform the tasks it was bred to do.

Ideal height at maturity for males is 24 inches and for females, 22 inches, with a variation of two inches either way acceptable. Weight may range from 50 to 95 pounds, in proportion to the dog’s height. The Louisiana Catahoula Leopard Dog must be both powerful and agile so actual weight and height are less important than the correct proportion of weight to height. Catahoulas should always be presented in hard, working condition. Any deviation from the ideal must be judged by the extent of the deviation, and the effect it has on the dog’s ability to work.